


Kintsugi

by Justletmein



Series: The Chaos Theory [2]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bisexual Brunnhilde | Valkyrie (Marvel), Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), Humor, IronStrange, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Past Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Civil War (Marvel), Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Slow Build, Slow Burn, hail HYDRA, post-black panther, thruce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-12 01:55:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18001577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justletmein/pseuds/Justletmein
Summary: “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.”― Ernest Hemingway,A Farewell to Arms.





	1. The First Cracks

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [TameAVagrantLion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TameAVagrantLion) for beta reading this first and make it readable! Of course, she ain't no miracle worker, so if there are any other mistakes, please let me know.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

It shouldn’t be a surprise that after what happened with Thanos people went crazy. Yes, the giant grape had been defeated, but his arrival brought enough destruction to make them reevaluate their current hero situation. In other words, they wanted the Avengers back and they wanted them fast. As a result, Tony had no other choice but to announce that he was assembling a team while a new version of the Sokovia Accords was on the making. Today, almost eight months after what was starting to be known as the “Infinity War”, he was finally presenting this so called team or, at least, most of it. Peter was among the members who were not going to show up (although he was officially an Avenger, thank you very much). It was decided that he would only participate on certain missions and so, instead of being there at the ceremony in his Spiderman suit, he was watching it on TV in his living room along with Ned and MJ.

“Oh, they fucking,” murmured MJ when they saw Tony introducing Doctor Strange, high fiving him when the doctor offered his hand to shake it.

“What? They’re just saying ‘hi’ to each other,” pointed Peter, remembering how those two bickered. At that time, he didn’t notice that his reaction sounded a little too certain coming from someone who supposedly was only doing a Stark internship, and he would realize his mistake a little too late. Not even her smirk could have warned him about what he had gotten himself into.

 

***

 

The next thing he knew, there was a robbery close to their school and he was ready to get into his suit when MJ and a very out of breath Ned approached him. Apparently, his friend hadn’t been able to stop her, so instead he had to send a quick message to Tony and let him send someone else to handle the situation. However, that didn’t stop them from getting closer to the area once the heroes arrived and saved the day.

“Come on…” Tony was saying, holding his hand up in a clear sign of what he was expecting.

“I told you I would never do that again,” replied Stephen crossing his arms over his chest, looking towards the opposite direction in order to avoid facing him.

“You can do it,” encouraged Tony, not giving up even after a couple of minutes passed without an answer.

With a snort of disgust, Stephen ended up yielding and high-fiving the eccentric billionaire.

“Awesome facial hair bros!” exclaimed Tony smiling as the cameras took pictures of them while several journalists tried to get closer to get an interview.

“I hate you,” muttered Stephen, low enough so that only Tony would hear him… but then again, Peter had heightened senses.

“Oh, they fucking,” he almost jumped at Ned’s comment.

He stared at him incredulous.

“Look at them… sparks!” MJ added with a wave of her hand and a satisfied smile.

“They’re just talking to each other,” he was no longer surprised of hearing that from MJ, as she had not stopped commenting on that every chance she got because she was convinced that it bothered him (which it didn’t… it was just weird, considering he knew both men), but knowing that Ned was now on board too felt a little like treason.

 

***

 

“For the last time, you can’t sleep on the floor!” he was woken up by Stephen’s irritated voice. It still took him some time to realize he was at the compound where he was spending the night after a particularly draining mission. Although sometimes he took the liberty of coming to study there, as he was slowly realizing that Tony, contrary to what he might claim, actually appreciated the company.

“I’m not sleeping… I’m just… meditating!” was Tony’s groggy response, which clearly indicated the contrary.

“Oh, really? I’m fairly certain I know what meditation is and that’s not it!” and now that he thought about it, why didn’t Strange go back to the Sanctum? “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

“Oh, doctor! At least buy me dinner first,” it was easy to imagine Tony saying something like that. He had gone to dinner with him before and knew exactly how he sounded when he was flirting, but that was also the reason why he knew this wasn’t quite it.

“No can do… considering how heavy you already are,” was Stephen’s answer. However, by the sound of it, he was helping him to stand up anyway.

“I’m not heavy, it’s you who is weak,” Tony protested.

“As if you were that strong.”

“Wanna bet, Glinda?”

He could only imagine what MJ would say if she was present during those kind of moments. Or heard the conversations they had, like that one time he overheard them talking about the rogue Avengers. They were staying in Wakanda and it wasn’t certain what was going to be done about them. However, Tony was already sure they were going to be pardoned eventually.

“So? They still will have to agree to the new accords if they want to join,” had remembered Stephen without taking his eyes from the book he was reading. He did that a lot, apparently he was too busy with his wizard stuff to stop working even when meeting with them at the compound.

“And what if they do? What comes next? We’ll all go together to celebrate Roger and Barnes’ wedding?”

“You could call sick,” Tony had scoffed.

“Yeah, right. And what would be your excuse?”

“Am I even invited? I barely know those men,” Stephen had reminded him.

“Please, Stephen. They don’t know that much people… and you fought together!” Tony had illustrated, “and anyways, if I have to go, then you certainly will come with me even if I have to drag your sorry butt,” Tony had explained as if it were the most logical thing to do.

“But I’m busy… can’t you just ask Pepper?”

“I’m sure she will get her own invitation, and anyways, she’s a very busy woman.”

“That I cannot deny,” had agreed Stephen earning a little smile.

Peter had decided to leave.

 

***

 

Still, realization took longer. A couple of classmates were discussing the new commercial for a wedding planning service. He remembered watching it, how his mind had drifted, remembering a certain princess, but then, as the woman on the screen was showing a couple of tuxedos, he had ended up thinking about Tony and Stephen. It made sense. The way the looked at each other, their eyes never leaving the other’s gaze. It was funny considering how if one of them had to leave, the other would follow their back with their eyes and would end staring at the door for a couple of minutes after they had left. Kind of like a puppy, now that he thought about it. They also stood very close to each other when talking, and they had only had been shifting closer and closer… but well, they were mostly bickering so he thought it was supposed to be in an intimidating way… And as he was thinking about it during his chemistry class, it all clicked. Of course.

“Oh, they fucking,” he mused in a barely audible whisper.

However, it was loud enough for MJ and Ned to hear, who unexpectantly exclaimed: “Oh, they fucking!”

They were sent to detention.

And yes, they weren’t really fucking, but that didn’t mean they did not want to.

 

***

 

There was a moment in every teenager’s life where the adult, once respected and admired, became… well, for lack of a better word, _human_. Of course, Peter knew that Tony Stark was human, but still, the situation was getting ridiculous. So yes, it took him a while to realize what was going on, but the clues were right under their noses and now that he knew, their pining was beginning to become annoying.

“You need to have breakfast with us! I mean, look at those cheekbones. I could cut myself slapping that face!” dramatized Tony.

“I would like to see you try,” was Stephen’s response, unfazed as he continued with his morning meditation.

“Maybe later, but now you have to move your butt here and eat something! Breakfast is family time, the kid said so himself!”

“I didn’t say that,” he protested. He might be young but he wasn’t _that_ young! However, by the look Tony gave him, he decided to reconsider… “I mean… yeah, family time!” He exclaimed, deciding his cereal had suddenly become the most interesting thing to watch.

This was really too much for him.

“How can’t they notice? Are they really that blind?” Peter silently thanked Loki’s words. It was good to know he was not alone in this.

“That’s what I have been wondering,” he muttered.

“I mean, look at them… it couldn’t be more obvious!” once again, Loki was right.

“I know right!” he said turning towards the deity, only to notice they weren’t talking to him. Instead, they are sitting next to Brunnhilde watching from afar how Thor and Bruce were discussing excitedly about the “New Asgard” project, an artificial island for the Asgardians which was being designed by Bruce and Tony while being financed by the latter.

“Well, we could say we are both dealing with a couple of idiots,” smiled Brunnhilde towards his direction.

“Don’t know if I would describe Barnes that way, but Rogers, definitely,” commented Tony turning his attention towards them, apparently believing they were following what was currently being presented by the local news: the return of the “Rogue Avengers”, as they had started calling them.

“I think you had enough coffee,” intervened Stephen taking Tony’s mug from his hands.

“Please, we are about to reunite with them to discuss the new accords… they are not like Scott Lang and the Pyms,” was Tony’s response as he recovered his mug, “What if they didn’t like them? What if they make a scene? I’m too old to start another fight…” Stephen rolled his eyes.

“If you are expecting me to deny the ‘old’ part, then you’re going to have to wait for a while”.

“I wouldn’t worry so much, Tony,” smiled Bruce turning towards them from the sofa, “I’ve been talking with Nat and she sounded pretty pleased with the new accords… Which reminds me, shouldn’t we be heading to the airport to welcome them?”

“I’d rather see them as little as possible while I can,” Tony answered pointing towards the TV: “Now it’s their return and when they announce their wedding… Oh, I swear I’d join Stephen in Hogwarts so I don’t have to listen to…”

“It’s not Hogwarts…” Stephen started complaining while making Tony’s mug disappear.

“…but it will do,” finished Tony with an amused smile.

Bruce cleared his throat.

“So… yeah, I’ll get going then, I promised Nat that I would help her look for a new apartment,” said Bruce standing up. “Guess none of you are coming?” He asked looking around.

“You know my answer,” said Tony, a little childishly in Peter’s opinion.

“I don’t know them,” shrugged Stephen.

“I fear for my safety if I tried,” dramatized Loki.

“Not only I don’t know them, but also I only woke up to eat these eggs and now that they are gone, I’m going back to bed,” said Brunnhilde, Loki laughed.

“Someone’s a sore loser,” sang Loki, gaining a stink-eye.

 “Not everyone can change their appearance to appease their partner according to their preferences… If earthlings weren’t so fixated with genders I would have won”.

“Wait, what?” Asked Peter before Tony could stop him.

“They went to a bar last night and made a bet of who could get more people to…”

Tony coughed.

“… _play_ with them?” Thor looked towards Tony and Stephen’s direction to check if they approved while Peter grimaced. He was a teenager, not a baby!

“Yeah, bars are great, you just go there and boom! You can _play_ with...!”

“Okay! Weren’t you going to bed?” Interrupted Tony in an intentionally high voice just to bother the hungover Asgardians.

“And I should better leave if I want to get there before their plane arrives,” remembered Bruce a little too used to their antics. Well, they all were. After months living together at the compound, they had become a kind of chaotic family whose weekend activities included saving the world… or at least, that is how Peter liked to think of them. Bruce turned towards the only one who had not yet answered. “Thor?”

 “Oh, no, you just go ahead and have fun!” He answered doing an exaggerated wink while his voiced cracked.

“For Mother’s mercy, I can’t watch this,” muttered Loki, low enough so that only Brunnhilde could hear him, and Peter’s sharp ears by default.

“You are having fun,” retorted Brunnhilde.

“A lot, actually,” they admitted without the slightest hint of guilt. Brunnhilde rolled her eyes.

“Um… okay. See you later, guys!” Bruce waved.

As soon as he left, all eyes were on Thor.

“What?”

“I believe they are wondering why you left Doctor Banner leave to meet with his ex given your obvious affection towards him,” answered FRIDAY’s voice helpfully.

“I don’t know what you– I mean…” Thor quickly stood up, bumping the sofa on the process and then the coffee table. “I should probably… Uh…” He ended-up muttering something quickly as he hurried towards his room.

“He’s so pathetic sometimes…,” lamented Loki deciding to follow after his brother.

“Takes one to know one,” commented Brunnhilde joining them too.

“Hey,” despite his short time knowing the deity, he was able to recognize how even though they intended to sound offended, they were actually trying to hold a smile. This was just like what that woman said on the wedding commercial, “love is in the air”… and apparently, not even the god-like Asgardians were safe.

“Okay, that’s our cue. Come on Peter, I promised May I’d take you to school on my way to the meeting,” decided Tony looking his watch.

“Can’t I go with you guys, I mean, shouldn’t Spiderman be present during the signing of the new accords?”

“Look, if I were in your place, I’d be thrilled of not being obliged to go.”

“Which reminds me, why am I going again?” commented Stephen.

“Because Pepper was busy, Rhodey is still on his super-secret mission with Captain Marvel, and they both want you to be my emotional support during these tedious times.”

“More like they want me to babysit you.”

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing.”

“You know what? I feel ready to go to class,” interrupted Peter. That was another thing they were doing a lot lately: just staring silently at one other’s… eyes? Lips? Goatees? He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

“Right, let’s go! We can get some coffee on the way,” declared Tony fetching his keys while Peter took his bag and they headed towards the door.

“Not on my watch,” mused Stephen following them resignedly, or rather, trying to disguise his amusement regarding Tony’s persistence.

 

***

 

Time really does fly when you aren’t looking forward to something such as sitting in a table with your ex-teammates… well, except for Clint, who decided that he was happy with being retired, spending time with his family and away from the superhero’s life-threatening routine, which was quite understandable.

“So, we have talked with the board of representatives and they all agreed that you are free to move outside the compound as long as you register your location,” at least Bruce was there to reduce the tension.

“Good, because I sure don’t want to be around during the honeymoon phase of these guys…,” commented Wilson looking towards Rogers and Barnes’ direction.

“Sam…” urged Steve, looking in Tony’s direction with a worried expression, something he found seriously irritating.

“Oh, no, please continue talking about these, oh, so important, matters… it’s not like this meeting was about anything relevant like your citizenship status or anything… So tell me, how’s the wedding planning going? Have you already chosen the date?” he pressed.

“Actually, we have! We decided to hire Miss Mydma,” announced Rogers pretending he didn’t notice the hostility behind his words.

“Really? That woman from TV? I wasn’t expecting that from you, I thought you were aiming for something… I don’t know, more low key,” continued Tony, and although his tone has hostile, he was actually being sincere about that. Since when did Steve want a big televised wedding?

“Yeah… We actually were going to do that, but then we saw her commercial and thought, ‘why the heck not?’ I mean, you only get married once in your life, right?”

“First of all, did you seriously just said ‘heck’? And second, there is this thing called ‘divorce’…”

“And this conversation is going sideways,” interrupted Stephen.

“Right. So, do you have any other question regarding the new accords?”

“Nope, I think I talk for everyone here when I say these are perfect,” announced Barnes with a smile, probably holding Rogers’ hand under the table.

“Great, so now you only have to…”

“Sir, sorry to interrupt but I’ve just received information of multiple bomb threats across several locations,” announced FRIDAY’s voice, changing their current screen showing the accords to a map showing said places.

“We just have to sign, right?” said Romanov, being the first one to take her eyes away from the screen in order to look right at him.

“Yes,” soon they were all signing the papers.

“Let’s go,” said Rogers, but Stephen interrupted him.

“Remember you all have to go supervised…,” he turned towards Tony. “What’s our strategy?”

“Right… FRIDAY has already contacted Thor, Vision and Hank, so they should be heading towards zone A, B, and C right now, as we speak. Stephen, you will be in charge of escorting Miss Maximoff and join the Revengers at zone A. Bruce, you go with Rogers and Barnes to zone B to meet with the Ant-team. I’ll go with Romanov and Wilson and join Vision at zone C.”

“Can’t I go to zone C too?” asked Maximoff, her intentions clear.

“You can meet with your boyfriend after all this is over,” was his answer. Pepper had convinced him that he should avoid working with her until he felt comfortable enough, and Stephen reinforced her idea and added that it would be better if he was personally in charge of her, given their magical abilities in common. However, even if Strange joined Vision instead of him, there was no way he would have those two together in a mission until he could fully trust her or, at least, Vision’s capability to keep her in line.

“Revengers? Ant-team?” repeated Wilson, noticeably confused.

“I will explain on the way,” sighed Tony. “Let’s go!”

However, even if they had defeated Thanos together, the truth was that they weren’t ready to work as a proper team and that only became more notorious when new zones in danger were announced. For Tony that meant being left with Natasha, for Steve having Bruce left in charge of him or, to be more precise, the Hulk, and for the masked group the perfect opportunity to strike.

“Wait a moment,” in the chaos of the battle, Doctor Strange was probably one of the first ones to notice that something was wrong. Their enemy seemed more focused on attacking them than their supposed targets, and that could only mean one thing, “this is a diversion!”, however, this sudden realization came a little too late. The mysterious enemies left as fast as they came, leaving behind a very angry and confused Hulk. Black Widow had to admit she shared the confusion or, at least, until she noticed that Iron Man was gone. And so was Captain America.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hullo! In case you didn't know, the dialogue between Peter, MJ and Ned was inspired in [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulteZYyWAA8) video


	2. Slipping

“Say, when you made the plan… were you trying to avoid me?” Tony scoffed. They had just taken Steve back to their shared cell in what seemed to be an abandoned jail, all beaten up, for no apparent reason whatsoever, and _that_ was what he decided to talk about?

“Don’t be so full of yourself, I just reasoned that given that there were five of _you_ and only three of _us,_ we had to split in a way that we were somehow even,” he decided to indulge him with an answer, if anything to make time until the guards left their cell.

“Really, Tony? ‘ _You’_ and ‘ _us’_?” Tony just rolled his eyes, “And what do you mean by ‘even’?” after deciding that staring at Steve as if he was an idiot wasn’t going to work, he sighed.

“Stephen, for example, is the only one who can wield power such as Maximoff’s, so if something was to go wrong, then he would have been able to handle it…”

“You know that’s not what I’m asking,” interrupted Steve. “Why didn’t we…?”

“Well, I think you remember what happened the last time I was left alone with you and Barnes, so sorry if I decided that the Hulk would be a better sitter for you,” was his cut response. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t receive a response to that. “Well, guess I was wrong considering we ended up here.” He added looking around and checking on the guards. Then he whispered: “Where did they take you?”

“I… I don’t know,” Steve murmured lowly, his face already becoming pretty swollen after all that beating, “one minute I was fighting with the Hulk, then next I woke up here and then these guys decided to take me and…”

“Use you as a practice punching bag?”

“I guess they did a pretty good job, considering I don’t remember much,” admitted Steve, which made Tony frown.

“You’re supposed to be a super soldier, how could they give you a contusion?” he moved closer, examining his face.

“I don’t know… Guess I’m getting old,” he tried to joke.

“Don’t give me that, you were already pretty old when I first meet you,” answered Tony.

 

***

 

“So, you just need a sample and you can track them,” Barnes was a smart guy, Stephen would give him that, or at least, he didn’t seem to bother so much with unnecessary questions.

“Yes, luckily for us, I already have a sample prepared for these kind of things,” of course, that would gain him questioning looks.

“Oh, he took one from everyone when we started working together, an idea he and Loki had for safety measures,” Bruce noticed a little too late how bad that sounded for the newcomers.

“Right,” said Natasha, turning back to Stephen, “how long will it take?”

“Just a moment,” he barely looked at her, maybe because he was very focused on his task or maybe, considering the cold look he gave her when she first announced Tony’s disappearance, because he was still angry with her. It was difficult to tell.

“What if this is another trap?” asked Brunnhilde.

“She has a point, what if the diversion was just part of a bigger diversion?” added Scott expanding his arms in order to emphasize his words.

“We’re not leaving Steve,” interrupted Natasha, “nor Tony behind.”

“Nobody said we should, I’m just saying that maybe we should split”, answered Brunnhilde.

“No intention to offend, but I think it did not work very well the last time,” replied Wanda, who had only stopped pacing around the room because Vision was holding her.

“No intention to offend, but we were working just fine until you arrived,” was Hope’s response.

“Hey, why don’t we calm down...?” said Scott standing between them.

“Oh, don’t tell me you blame us for your boyfriend’s choices,” replied Wanda ignoring Scott’s attempts to dissuade the situation.

“That’s enough!” everybody froze when they heard Hulk's voice. Fortunately, Bruce had not transformed... not yet, at least. “Listen, they are both my friends and I’m as worried as everyone, but we need to calm down and come up with a plan.”

“We already checked all the threatened areas and didn’t find anything, but as Miss Brunnhilde pointed out, we shouldn’t leave them unsupervised in case there is another attack,” informed Vision coolly as he massaged Wanda's arms to keep her calm.

“What should we do, Wizard?” asked Thor turning towards Stephen.

“I believe it would be best if you stay and patrol the city while I get those dumbasses,” he stated seriously, “after all, it would be better if we didn’t attract much attention.”

“I’ll go with you,” decided Bucky, gaining a raised eyebrow, “everyone needs backup and, well, Steve has saved me more times than I could count…”

“He’s your fiancé!” Sam reminded him incredulous that he left that detail aside.

“That too,” said Bucky, “but we aren’t doubting their ability to escape, I just want to save him so I can rub it on his face for a change,” he smiled and Stephen couldn’t help but smile back.

“I can respect that,” he said. “Ok, so we are leaving,” he announced making a portal, “Vision, you’re in charge until we’re back.”

“Thank you, Doctor Strange,” thanked Vision quietly, “and please, bring them safe,” he added.

“Of course,” Stephen said, giving way to Bucky inside the portal, before following him and disappearing out of thin air.

 

***

 

“You know, you seem pretty relaxed for a beaten up guy,” commented Tony after surrendering in his attempts to break free from his handcuffs. Steve shrugged.

“Sometimes it's better to wait for the right moment,” he explained. “Saves energy, you know?” He must have noticed Tony's confused expression because he added: “Bucky and the rest will come to rescue us, so we better save our energy so that when they come we can be of help.”

“Okay, that sounds too insightful to come from your mouth… Did they really beat you up that hard?” Steve laughed. “No, no, I’m being serious here. In all my years knowing you I’ve never seen you ‘wait for the right moment’, you’ve always been more of an impulsive type of guy.” Steve sighed.

“I know,” he said, almost shyly, “and that has led me to big mistakes.” Tony nodded, he was not going to argue with that. “But I'm trying to improve and Bucky has been helping me with that. Just thinking that all this ‘Civil War’ nonsense could have been avoided if we had talked... I… I’m really sorry about it, Tony, you know that, right?”

“Maybe they didn’t just hit you, maybe they injected you something too,” Tony mused loudly.

“I’m being serious here! I know I hurt you, and last time we talked things didn’t exactly end well…”

“That could have been avoided if you had told me, I don’t know, that you were going to marry Barnes!”

“I was going to… really, but things got out of hand so quickly…” Tony exhaled, how did they end up talking about this anyway?

“I guess I didn’t made things easier either.”

“You didn’t, but I cannot blame you for that,” he said with a small smile. “God, we were such a great team…”

“I know,” Tony said returning the smile, “and I also like to think that we were good friends.”

“I know,” he sighed. “I like to think we were good friends too.”

“But then… why didn’t you just tell me?”

“I told you, I thought that by not telling you about your parents I was sparing you…”

“Not that, what was going on with Barnes,” Tony answered. “First you don’t tell me he was in Wakanda, which would have been useful considering that we were about to fight against an alien invasion and the last thing I needed was to have a panic attack… And please, don’t say it was to protect me, because later you also didn’t tell me about your fucking engagement! Why? It's not like you could hurt me any more after you said he's your friend and apparently I wasn’t anymore…”

“You _are_ my friend,” he interrupted, “or at least, I want you to be.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Believe it or not, I _was_ trying to protect you,” he looked at him straight in the eyes, “I know you used to… have feelings for me, and I know it’s stupid considering all the damage I’ve done to you, but I assumed that mentioning the engagement would only hurt you more…” He confessed. “Of course, I didn’t know that that doctor and you were a thing...”

“Wait, what?”

“What?”

“We are not ‘a thing’.” Unfortunately, even as he spoke those words, Tony could feel his face burning. This was not good.

 

***

 

Although they could have easily teleported directly into the entrance, Stephen decided that it would be best to keep as unnoticed as possible, which meant teleporting in the middle of the forest surrounding the area. Apparently, Tony and Rogers were taken to an abandoned jail, which kind of made sense considering the facilities it would provide to keep two of the oldest Avengers captive.

“There does not seem to be anyone in the perimeter, follow me,” Barnes said after inspecting the area. He had to admit that his training was more than adequate for this type of mission. Although, being honest, he didn’t need to worry so much. Yes, they had been taken by surprise, but given the weaponry the enemy used they probably were mere humans which, compared to their previous enemies, made them an easy target. And yet, why did he feel so restless?

“Don’t worry, I’m sure they are fine,” offered Barnes after giving him a brief look to check he was still behind.

“I’m not worried,” as soon as he said that, he knew how unconvincing, even ridiculous, he sounded.

“It’s okay. I’m worried too, you know?”

“What happened to you not ‘doubting their ability to escape’?” Barnes shrugged.

“Logically, I’m not worried, but we’re not really logical when it comes to the people we love, are we?” Barnes said, shooting him a brief smile as he moved forward, not noticing how Stephen stayed behind or, at least, not immediately. “Hey, are you coming or not?”

“Right, right,” he said, moving almost automatically, his mind still processing the words of the Winter Soldier. Was he implying what he thought he was implying? “When you say, ‘people we love’, you mean…”

“I’m about to marry one of those dumbasses, I think you know what I mean,” Barnes said, but then he seemed to notice where his question came from. “Wait, Stark and you aren’t dating?”

“No, what gave you that idea?”

“Well, we all thought you did after the show you made when we were in Wakanda,” Barnes answered honestly.

“I’m sure I mentioned that Miss Pepper was Tony’s fiancée,” he said, his voice sounding almost defensive.

“Right, as if anyone would believe that given Tony’s history…”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, his little infatuation with Steve, for starters,” he stopped, inspecting Stephen carefully. “You were aware of that, weren’t you?”

“Of course, I mean, he never told me directly, but I had my suspicions,” he admitted. Well, Tony _did_ say that he was over Rogers, so technically he had confirmed said suspicions long ago.

Barnes sighed in relief.

“For a moment I thought I had screwed up,” he explained with a guilty smile. “Okay, let’s keep going, we should also come with some kind of strategy…”

“Right, but… can I ask you something first?” he asked without thinking.

“Shoot.”

“Was this… ‘infatuation’, as you call, unidirectional?”

“I'm not sure if it's up to me to say it,” Barnes admitted as they walked, “but I guess it doesn’t hurt anyone,” as Barnes talked, Stephen couldn’t help but wonder why he had asked that question in the first place. What did he care? “I’ve talked about this several times with Steve before, and although he swears he loves me, I know Tony has a special place in his heart, kind of like how Peggy does.”

“And you are okay with that?”

“We cannot control whom we love,” he said lifting his shoulders, “and it’s not as if he loves us the same way… There are just, different types of love, I guess? And even so, he chose me,” he said with a small laugh, “and I’m not just talking about our engagement, he chose me several times before that.” Stephen nodded silently, unsure if that was what he wanted to hear. “So I’m not worried, and you shouldn’t be either, you know?”

“I’m not worried,” he found himself saying once again.

“Right,” Barnes smiled as they stopped behind a tree from which they could see the entrance to the abandoned jail. “So, what’s the plan?”

The plan could have been summarized as entering the place and knocking each and every guard down until they found their two dumbasses, because that was exactly what they did, and with great success. Although the building was quite large and fairly guarded, it wasn’t difficult for them to sneak from room to room, leaving the guards either unconscious or immobilized.

“We are not a thing,” Stephen recognized Tony's voice immediately, they were close. “Stephen is a great friend but we are not _a thing_ ,” he froze, what were they talking about exactly? “And that’s no excuse. Yes, I…,” there was hesitance, “…I loved you, okay?”

“Strange, pay attention,” called Barnes, waking him up from whatever it had come over him. He wasn’t sure if Barnes had heard the conversation or not, but seeing the guards, he knew it wasn’t the time for spacing out. After casting a quick spell, they were soon running down the hall and towards their cell.

“Bucky!” exclaimed Rogers happily as soon as he spotted them.

Another spell and the jail bars were gone. They both moved quickly towards the prisoners, Barnes surrounded Rogers with his arms before turning away and examining him carefully. Stephen, meanwhile, knelt down next to Tony and undid his handcuffs before checking him. At first glance, he looked much better compared to Rogers.

“Careful where you put your hands, doctor,” Tony joked.

“You’re welcome,” he said sarcastically in return. Once he decided that Tony was in a decent condition, he stood up and offered his hand to help him get up.

“Seriously, thanks for coming here and helping with this,” he said standing up without any major difficulty, although his hands lingered for a moment on his… or that was what he wanted to believe.

“Of course,” he answered, and as he stared at Tony he realized that maybe Barnes had a point. He sighed in surrender before putting on his best smile, “I had to. We’re awesome facial hair bros.” Tony’s eyes lighten up instantly.

“Wow. All of this was totally worth it just for that.” Stephen chuckled.

“You can’t be serious…”

“No really, this,” he said pointing between them, “this is definitely something.” Too bad it wasn’t enough. Stephen cleared his throat.

“Okay, time for you to go,” he said, his voice sounding tighter than he expected.

“Wait, aren’t we going to question the bad guys?” asked Tony confused.

“Barnes and I will take care of it, you two need to be checked by a doctor,” he answered avoiding Tony’s eyes on him. Great, now he was making things uncomfortable. He sighed. “Just go, okay?” Tony pursed his lips, definitely considering arguing with him, but instead he nodded.

“Okay,” he said. Stephen made a new portal, and Tony walked towards it while guiding Steve, “Come on, Capsicle, let’s go,” Stephen grimaced at the nickname.

“Let’s find out what they’re up to,” said Barnes as soon as they disappeared. Stephen nodded, and they both headed towards the two guards they left unconscious at the entrance. However, what they found were their lifeless bodies. “What the hell? How is this possible?” Asked Barnes as he looked over the bodies, trying to find any fatal wound. That couldn’t be a good sign.

“Let’s check the others,” Stephen decided, and soon they were running around the jail, checking each and every body they could find. All the same, no major injuries except the ones they made to immobilize them or leave them unconscious.

“What’s the meaning of this?” asked Barnes, once they concluded they were the only two people alive in that place.

“I’m not sure, but I can make a guess,” murmured Stephen standing up, leaving the body he was revising on the floor. “They must have taken cyanide pills.”

“Which means they were already expecting us,” mused Barnes.

“Scott was right, this actually was a major diversion,” continued Stephen thinking.

“But a diversion from what?” Stephen stared back at the bodies, as expecting them to answer. He was going to call emergencies and have them perform an autopsy on them, but even then, the odds that it was something else were discouraging.

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [TameAVagrantLion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TameAVagrantLion) for beta reading this first and make it readable! Of course, she ain't no miracle worker, so if there are any other mistakes, please let me know.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!


	3. Free Fall

Beyond their bruises, both Steve and Tony were in good conditions and got quickly discharged, being able to attend the meeting with the rest of the team. Once there, they were informed that while Bucky and Stephen were out on their rescue mission, there were no major incidents in the city and that they concluded that those areas were never really in danger or, at least, not greater than the usual. But then, the autopsies results arrived and Stephen’s suspicious were confirmed, which left everyone feeling uneasy.

“Well, they managed to kidnap the former leaders of the Avengers, maybe they were trying to make some kind of statement,” reflected Sam.

“Wait, you’re telling me these two were your leaders?” murmured Brunnhilde to Bruce and Thor.

“They are not as powerful as we are, we had to leave them something to make them feel special,” Thor explained while his brother covered a laugh.

“That doesn’t justify the use of cyanide pills,” marked Natasha, ignoring their conversation.

“Maybe they wanted to question them but didn’t have enough time,” offered Wanda, who seemed to be quite restless about the situation.

“You sure, they didn’t say anything to you?” questioned Natasha, only to get the same answer as before.

“They weren’t exactly talkative,” shrugged Tony. “Although maybe they did say something when they took _him_ ,” he added looking towards Steve, “but Captain Amnesia over here doesn’t remember anything.”

“Maybe he was… brainwashed?” suggested Scott. They all turned towards Steve, questioning looks on their faces.

“I… don’t feel brainwashed?” he answered sounding fairly unsure.

“You never do,” Bucky said patting him on the shoulder. Was that supposed to be comforting? “They were held in that jail for three hours at most, I really doubt that gave them enough time for brainwashing,” he added upon noticing the worried expressions.

“Maybe we should rest and resume this discussion tomorrow,” offered Bruce after a tired silence.

“Good idea, I’m still trying to get over the jetlag,” Sam contributed stretching.

“Right! Oh, we should also talk to Miss Mydma tomorrow,” added Steve.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Shouldn’t we postpone the wedding until we know what’s going on…?” Bucky asked him under his breath, but there was so much silence that everyone was able to hear him.

“Of course! If anything, we shouldn’t waste any more time,” answered Steve smiling at him. “Things are fairly peaceful and I don’t want to miss our chance before things turn ugly.”

“Okay, we will talk about this later…” Bucky sighed. “So, does anyone have anything else to say?” he asked upon noticing that all eyes were on them.

Stephen looked towards Tony, waiting to see what he would decide, and was surprised to discover that he was also looking in his direction. He quickly turned his face away. If he had not done it, he would have noticed Tony’s determined expression.

“Okay, meeting dismissed,” he announced and nobody complained, although he did earn some curious glances as they left the room.

 

***

 

Brunnhilde was one of the last ones to leave the meeting room, only because she was curious about what was going on in Tony’s mind. Turns out it had something to do with Stephen, which, if she was being honest, didn’t surprise her that much. Guess she would lose _that_ bet.

“Hey, hold that door!” she called hurrying towards the elevator. Usually, she wouldn’t mind waiting for the next one or taking the stairs, but when she saw the blonde alone she knew that this was her opportunity to get some answers, “Black Widow, was it?”

“You can call me Natasha,” clarified the woman in what she supposed was her friendly tone. It was hard to tell.

“What are your intentions with Bruce?”

“You don’t beat around the bush,” she said unamused.

“Do you?” This time, Natasha smiled.

“No,” she admitted. “You might be aware of the fact that Bruce and I have history, but when he disappeared, I had more than enough time to think about it and once we talked it out we both agree that we were better off as friends.” Brunnhilde inspected her for a moment, she didn’t seem to be lying.

“Good,” Brunnhilde smiled satisfied.

“You still might need some help to get them together,” Natasha added.

“Nah, I’ll let them figure it out,” she said raising her shoulders.

“Then why did you ask?” She sounded somewhat surprised.

“I have bet going on with Loki about who is going to confess first. According to them, Bruce is going to do it because Thor is oblivious and believes that Bruce still has feelings for you,” Natasha thought it for a moment but then nodded in understanding. “In my opinion, unless he turns into the Hulk, he won’t gather enough courage to tell him and it will be Thor who spits it out, maybe at the wedding if he gets drunk enough,” she smiled, and Natasha returned the gesture.

“I can help with that,” she said.

“I’ll be counting on that.”

The doors opened to reveal Loki already waiting for her. They watched as she said goodbye to Natasha, who retired towards her assigned room.

“Looks like Spider Woman and you have gotten pretty chummy in there,” Loki commented.

“You have no idea,” she smiled conspirationally, winking an eye towards Natasha as she turned and winked, apparently she was still close enough to hear their conversation.

“Oh, and it’s Black Widow for you,” Natasha added.

“Same thing,” Loki shrugged sounding somewhat annoyed.

 

***

 

Tony stopped Stephen at the door. “Are you angry or something?”

“What? No, of course not. Why would you say that?” Stephen couldn’t help but wonder if he knew that he had overheard his conversation with Rogers, but that would be ridiculous, especially considering he hadn’t said anything about it.

“You kind of kicked me out when we were in that jail…” Right. That.

“I was just…” What? Annoyed with his and Rogers’ newfound friendship? He sighed. “I’m sorry.” Tony raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting an apology,” he admitted. “In fact, I was really prepared for a scolding for today's failure.”

“I don’t see how any of this could have been your fault.”

“I made the teams,” he offered helpfully.

“As if there were much options given our current circumstances.”

“Exactly! That was the answer I had planned” Tony exclaimed dramatically, “but then you had to ruin it by saying it was not my fault! So unfair,” he added crossing his arms.

“Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t know you needed an excuse to defend your ego.”

“A little motivation from time to time never hurts.”

“Of course,” Stephen finally chuckled, earning a smile from Tony.

“Are you spending the night?” as far as he knew, most of them were, with the exception of the Ant-team who had their own homes to which to return. However, Stephen couldn’t help but notice Tony’s hopeful expression. He reminded himself that although Tony had made peace with Steve, while also confessing his feelings towards him, Steve was still engaged with Bucky. It only made sense that he wanted some companionship, especially for what was probably going to be an awkward morning the next day. He also wasn’t exactly reconciled with the rest of the rogues. And sure, he had the Revengers to keep him company, but they were also Steve's friends, in Thor and Bruce’s case, or weren’t that close to Tony.

Most importantly, _he_ wanted to stay.

Apparently, his answer was taking too long, as Tony’s relaxed expression turned into a slightly mortified one: “I mean, if you want to… that is.”

“Guess, I could,” smiled Stephen.

“Great!” he smiled, and looked at his wrist for a moment. “So, it’s still quite early, wanna drink something?”

“Sure,” the answer came easily, and he realized that Tony could ask him anything and he would be more than happy to oblige. Well, almost anything. Pepper made quite sure of making him aware of some of Tony’s most destructive habits, not that a couple of nights at the compound wouldn’t give him an idea, and they both agreed on the importance of reducing them as much as possible. However, before he could remind him of the effects of alcoholism on the skin, Tony took a turn towards the kitchen’s direction and put some water to boil while looking at the cabinet with the collection of coffee capsules.

“Thank you,” he said. Stephen must have seem confused because Tony clarified: “For rescuing me earlier today, and… _this_.”

“Ruining your carefully planned apology?” Tony laughed.

“You know that’s not it,” he said, smile never leaving his face and Stephen could only return the smile before Tony turned back to his preparations.

“Same as always, Endora?”

“Excuse you?” Tony laughed, taking that answer as affirmative and finishing preparing his tea as well as a coffee for himself. “Are you planning to stay up?”

“It’s decaf, I think I will be just fine,” he winked.

Well, it was better than his usual caffeine overdose and it was definitely better than alcohol. However, instead of thinking about this little victory, Stephen found himself thinking a little too much about that wink and how it made him feel when it was directed to him. He decided to focus on his tea and started drinking it despite the fact that it was still hot. The problem was that the tea also made him think about Tony, and thinking of Tony made him remember how he felt after his kidnapping and what Bucky told him and how maybe, just maybe, he was right.

His conclusion: he was screwed.

 

***

 

“Hey, are you okay?” Stephen blinked, realizing this probably wasn’t the first time that Tony called him.

“Um… yes?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“You actually want coffee?”

Although they went to bed considerably early the night before, the fact that they were awakened by the chattering of the wedding organizer known as Miss Mydma–because, of course, Steve had to decide to invite her at that unholy hour–was enough to make him want to overdose with caffeine, even if it was the last thing he would do. Yet, he wasn’t expecting Stephen to actually join him on that particular plan. And if Stephen was being honest with himself, neither did he. But instead, he answered: “Yes,” that’s right, like a liar. Fortunately, his phone decided to ring at that moment, saving him from whatever comment Tony was going to make. As soon as he heard Wong’s words, he made a gesture for Tony to stop with the coffee preparations.

“What’s wrong?” asked Tony as soon as the called ended, but then his worried expression turned into a confused one when he noticed Stephen was smiling.

“An old friend has come to visit,” he answered.

“You have other friends besides Wong?” Tony mocked.

“Very funny,” he answered, without letting him deviate from his explanation. “If I remember correctly, I've already told you about Mordo, correct?” Tony only needed a couple of seconds before nodding.

“Your ex-Hogwarts professor, wasn’t it?”

“It's useless to ask you to stop doing that, right?” He sighed, earning a smile that made each and every one of those terrible jokes worth it.

Stephen cleared his throat, hurrying to his feet.

“I will stop when it stops being funny… maybe,” Tony started saying, but stopped. “Where are you going?” He asked the exact moment they both heard Miss Mydma’s “Sergeant Barnes, please stand there. Perfect! From this angle your arm does not reflect on Captain Rogers’ face.” They both grimaced.

“I’m afraid I cannot stay, we agreed to meet in a nearby coffee shop,” Stephen explained, feeling even more grateful than before for the excuse to leave. Not only would it give him some space to finish processing his revelation from the night before, but it would also save him from a terrible headache.

“I’ll accompany you,” offered Tony, apparently joining his later line of though.

“Oh, no, it’s okay,” he responded quickly, hoping to sound less nervous than he felt.

“It’s no problem, really,” Tony insisted with a wink, because he had to decide that now was a good time to act all gallant and chivalrous, “I’d actually like to meet a professor of yours,” he added with a funny face, making it impossible to say no.

“Okay,” he sighed defeated.

Tony looked at him curious for a moment, but didn’t comment on it.

It was far from being the first time they walked alone with only each other as company, but having the thoughts from the last night lurking around his head–along with the memory of a dream he might have had afterwards, because now was also the best moment to remember that–he couldn’t make much conversation.

“Seriously, is everything alright?” Tony asked once they arrived to their destination.

“Yeah, sure, I mean…” he said avoiding his worried look. He was happy to find Mordo with his eyes. “Mordo!” he called, sounding maybe a little bit too overenthusiastic. Subtle.

“It’s been long, Strange,” said Mordo, ever so serious.

“Too long, if you ask me,” Stephen responded, imitating his tone while shaking his hand. Then, they both smiled and turned that handshake into an actual hug. They separated when they heard someone clearing their throat. Stephen noticed that Tony was watching them with his arms crossed and an unamused expression, clearly not used to being ignored. “Oh, right. Mordo, this is Tony; Tony, this is Mordo.”

“Tony Stark, I presume?” said Mordo shaking his hand.

“That’s right. And you must be the infamous Dolores Umbridge?” He replied with a smile that Stephen recognized as far from friendly.

“Excuse me?”

Stephen decided that this was a good time to intervene and set them apart: “Anyway… Thanks for joining me here, see you later.”

“Wasn’t Wong also supposed to be here?” Tony asked quietly.

“He must be late…”

“Wong, ‘late’?” Tony repeated incredulously. He looked once more towards Mordo and then Stephen.

“It can happen,” Stephen responded defensively. Why did the universe have to turn against him?

“Right,” said Tony finally, far from looking convinced. “Guess, I’ll see you later.”

“Sure thing,” he noticed that Wong had already arrived and was looking at them while drinking the tea that he had probably gone to order. The knowing look on his face was enough to make Stephen panic. So he did what any normal person would do in his situation: “Bye!” He exclaimed, practically pushing Tony to the exit.

As soon as he took a seat at the table where Mordo and Wong were waiting, the latter said: “So… Stark?” Even though he asked without a hint of laughter in his expression, Stephen knew he was rejoicing inside.

“Please, don’t start,” he practically begged. His friend began to laugh while Mordo watched them with a grimace, probably judging him silently. Great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [TameAVagrantLion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TameAVagrantLion) for beta reading this first and make it readable! Of course, she ain't no miracle worker, so if there are any other mistakes, please let me know.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!


	4. Interlude: Struck (by the Truth)

“Stephen is a great friend but we are not a thing,” he repeated, trying to sound more convincing. Convincing to whom? It’s not like he had anything to prove to him. “And that’s no excuse. Yes, I…,” he hesitated, “…I loved you, okay?”  
“I know, but I…”  
“No, you listen! I loved you, yes. I grew up listening stories about you from my father and then I met you and you proved to be just as I expected, all perfect and heroic to the point it was annoying. Or so it should have been. I barely noticed that we were becoming friends and even less that I was falling for you. You never returned my feelings, of course, and eventually I accepted that and thought that we could still be good friends, but after what happened in Siberia, I knew that I had to let you go for good,” he took a breath, “and I did. So no, I didn’t get over you because I meet someone else, I simply did.”  
“I’m so-,” Tony stopped him with a gesture.  
“You can be sorry for a lot of things, but not this,” Tony decreed. “In any case, you can feel sorry for yourself for missing the chance to be with Tony Stark, but that's it,” he added with a smile that Steve returned.  
“So we are good?”  
“What do you think, gramps?”  
And it was true, after that brief talk they shared, he wasn’t bitter towards Steve anymore. He felt lighter even. But that didn’t mean that he liked the idea of having a wedding planner walking around the compound as if she owned the place.  
“I’m just saying, they could have meet at a coffee shop or something like that,” he stated while Pepper patiently listened to him.  
“And I think I’ve already told you that I agree with you, this is totally unprofessional,” said Pepper.  
“Exactly, and if you choose a coffee shop you are being professional, right?” Pepper sighed.  
“Is this about Stephen’s meeting with his… friend?”  
“Ex-Hogwarts professor” he clarified, because that was what Stephen told him when that morning he received a call from Wong announcing that said person came to the Sanctum looking for him. He decided to accompany him to the coffee shop where they agreed to meet, if anything to get a rest from Miss Mydma comments about what kind of light would be better for Steve’s eyes. But, then, what does he find? That said professor wasn’t an old bearded man in robes but instead a pretty young one… and fairly handsome too!  
“Right. ‘Ex-Hogwarts professor’… I don’t see why you are so stressed about that.”  
“I’m not stressed, I just feel that I have been lied by all those movies…”  
“Right. So, is that it?”  
Well, there was also the fact that Stephen was acting weird that day, or weirder than usual. He seemed nervous and a little too eager of getting rid of him and get to his meeting with said professor. But when he mentioned it to Pepper, expecting some kind of logical explanation from her, all he got was a: “Maybe it’s a date,” followed by a laughter at his expense because, apparently, he had a “horrified expression”.  
“I’m not horrified, if anything, I consider your suggestion to be extremely unethical,” he replied theatrically.  
“Aha, and since when do you care about that kind of stuff?”  
“I don’t, but I’m sure that Stephen does,” he clarified, only to receive a raised eyebrow. “What?”  
“Why don’t you simply admit that it bothers you?”  
“And why would it bother me?”  
“Good question, why do you think?” touché.  
“Because you’re crazy?” he tried but all he got was an unamused look.  
“It would be easier if you just admit it,” Pepper pointed out.  
“I admit I don’t have any idea of what you are talking about,” okay, maybe he was being a little bit stubborn, but he didn’t like Pepper taking for granted things he didn’t know for sure. Truth to be told, it wasn’t the first time he had considered that his appreciation towards Stephen could lead to something more, but he also appreciated their growing friendship and wasn’t really in the mood of ruining it just yet. “Okay, maybe… that Mordo guy gives me a bad feeling,” that was also true, but apparently Pepper didn’t appreciate his answer because she snorted.  
“Are you seriously telling me you’re jealous of someone Stephen hasn’t seen in years?”  
“Yes? No, I’m not jealous, don’t be ridiculous,” he scoffed. “In any case, I’m worried. There’s something fishy about the guy, I just can’t pinpoint what exactly.” What if he was behind Stephen’s weird behavior?  
“Tony,” Pepper called, putting a hand on his shoulder, “what are you so afraid of-?” she began asking, but then interrupted herself: “Is it because of what happened with Rogers? Because, need I remind you, what he did was a terrible mistake and I’m quite certain Stephen wouldn’t commit the same mistake if he knows what is best for him.”  
“That almost sounds like a threat”, he joked.  
“Oh, it is,” she laughed. “Although I don’t think it’s necessary for this particular case.”  
“What do you mean?” Pepper watched him for a moment, and after assessing that he definitely wasn’t going to get it, decided that enough was enough.  
“He already likes you.”  
“You think?” She huffed.  
“Look, let me show you,” Pepper said taking her phone to call a number and put it on speaker. “Hey, Rhodey.”  
“Hey, Pepper, now it’s not the best time-” he began to say, the explosions the background being a proof that he wasn’t joking.  
“How does Stephen feel about Tony?” Pepper asked without missing a beat.  
“He probably already has a draft of their marriage vows,” Rhodey responded with incredible seriousness.  
“What?” Tony asked stunned.  
“Oh, Tony is here, great!” Rhodey said recognizing his voice. “Let me make it clearer then, he wants to tap that ass,” he declared, and then he hanged.  
“There you go.” Pepper smiled.  
“How long?”  
“Long enough,” was her simple answer. “The real question is: are you going to do something about it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [TameAVagrantLion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TameAVagrantLion) for beta reading this first and make it readable! Of course, she ain't no miracle worker, so if there are any other mistakes, please let me know.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!


	5. The Old and the New

“I’m sure you and Wong have already noticed that several sorcerers have been disappearing,” announced Mordo once they exchanged pleasantries and ordered their respective drinks.

“Yes, more specifically, the people who only came to the temple seeking for help,” Stephen said, noticing the surprised look on Mordo’s face.

“That’s… right,” he said nodding. “Have you gathered any other clue?”

“Unfortunately, no,” said Wong.

Stephen had to admit the search for answers was becoming more and more frustrating, especially when considering that the numbers would probably double if they were still in contact with all the former students. He thought about mentioning it to Tony a couple of times, given that he might have some technology to locate them, but the other sorcerers from Kamar-Taj were against it, reminding him that some things were better kept hidden from the public eye… Which took him to the next point: “How about you? As far as I know, you decided to… well, _vanish_ yourself. How do you know about these things?”

“I have been traveling a lot and visiting old friends, and let’s just say the word spreads faster than you can imagine.”

“Well, I’m glad to see you, even if the circumstances are rather worrying,” he said trying to lighten up the mood a little, a habit he had taken from Tony… someone he definitely didn’t want to think about.

“Me too,” Mordo smiled, “and actually, I was thinking we could work together on this, just like old times.”

“That I would like,” Stephen admitted, “we could really use some help on the matter.”

Wong nodded.

“I´m glad to hear that! I think I have some information that might interest you,” Mordo announced.

And maybe Stephen had found the perfect distraction.

 

***

 

When Steve said that they shouldn’t waste any more time waiting for their wedding, he wasn’t kidding. In the spam of two weeks, the compound had turned into the epitome of each and every wedding rom-com to ever exist. Decoration and costume designs had come and gone, and now the place was covered with golden and white decorations, only leaving enough place for the flowers that would be delivered the day of the wedding along with the catering.

“And they are going to release doves?” Of course, Stephen was the least informed about the wedding plans-well, he and Peter, who had been pretty busy lately with schoolwork-. Just when Tony admitted that he might have some feelings for the wizard and decided to actually do something about them, the man in question had to get really busy with who knows what and spend all his time working with Wong… and Mordo.

“Yeah, apparently they are supposed to symbolize freedom, something very important considering we are talking about _the_ Captain America’s wedding,” Tony explained, remembering Miss Mydma words with a grimace. That woman was insane.

“Right, _the_ Captain America,” Stephen repeated rolling his eyes.

“Don’t get bitter, I’m sure they would let you do some magic tricks if you asked.”

“I think we've already established that I'm not an entertainer,” he said, irritation slipping into his voice despite how much he tried to conceal it.

“True, Lang makes way better card tricks than you,” Tony remembered mockingly.

“I have never-,” he started to say but stopped. “You are really annoying when you want to, you know?”

“Thank you, it’s a gift,” he responded with a mocking bow, his smile widening as he noticed Stephen's amused expression. “Anyway, I was wondering if you already had someone in mind for your plus-one?” he asked crossing his fingers not to have to listen to the name “Mordo”, or any other name, really. However, Stephen’s change of demeanor warned him that he should expect even worse news.

“About that… I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend to the wedding,”

“What? They gave you an invitation, didn’t they?” He asked and, just in case, he added: “And if they didn’t, you can always be my plus-one.” Smooth.

“No, I received the invitation, and Wong too, but Mordo has found a lead on the case we are working on so we are planning to travel there-”

“Can’t you just do your teleportation mumbo jumbo like you always do?”

“Not if we don’t want to draw the attention of whoever is behind what’s happening,” he explained.

“Of course, right. And when are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow,” he said, sounding almost bashful.

“Tomorrow?” For his part, Tony didn’t bother to hide his indignation.

“Yeah, I know it sounds sudden but this is a matter of extreme importance that must be treated as such,” explained Stephen.

“I understand that, but...” But what? It wasn’t as he had any right to complain. “I would have organized a farewell if you had warned me with more time… First Steve doesn’t want to have a bachelor party, now this.” Stephen chuckled.

“Well, how about this? If we succeed, I'll let you organize a party to celebrate,” Stephen said.

“Careful, Doc, I might consider that offer,” Tony answered with a smirk. “Maybe we could do something, just you and I…” He was so close he could hear Stephen gulp.

“Actually, that would be…”

“Great! Just who I was looking for! Mr. Stark, could you please tell me where I have to go to fix the lighting?” interrupted Miss Mydma who burst inside the room followed by an evidently embarrassed couple.

“Sorry,” mouthed Steve.

“You’re dead to me,” Tony mouthed back. “Yes, Miss Mydma, follow me,” he said resigned, guiding the woman towards them.

“You know, we still haven’t solved what those attacks and abductions were about,” commented Bucky once they were far enough. “You could stay and help us with that until the wedding and then leave.”

“I’m really sorry, but unlike what happened here, for this we do have a clue and maybe it's the only one we’ll get in a while. We can’t miss it,” Stephen explained with genuine regret. Both Bucky and Steve exchanged looks without saying anything.

“We understand, you do what you have to do,” said Steve, resting a hand on his shoulder to give him a couple of pats before retiring along with his fiancé.

“He really acts like a grandfather sometimes,” Stephen murmured watching them go with disbelief.

“I know,” said Tony, a satisfied smile on his face after getting rid of Miss Mydma. “Anyway, as I was saying…”

“Right, as you were saying,” he said returning his smile.

“We could…”

“Mr. Stark, I don’t want to alarm you but Miss Mydma is in the house! Did Pepper finally get fed up with you and Doctor Strange tiptoeing around each other?” And now he had to get rid of certain Underoos before he accidentally revealed his secret identity.

“Guess I’ll see you around,” Tony said lamely.

“Yeah, see you around,” Stephen smiled.

 

***

 

The day of the wedding finally arrived. Of course, given the importance of the event (and Rogers' refusal to keep it private), big television networks sent their representatives to broadcast it, which was why Peter was dressed in his Spiderman suit that day. Well, at least Tony lent him a tuxedo to wear over it.

“Are you really trying to keep your identity hidden or do you just have a very ugly face?” Asked Shuri, a grin on her face.

“It’s not fair, not everyone can come as royalty without drawing attention,” he replied unable to not feel embarrassed.

“So, you’re not royalty, interesting…” He groaned, earning a new laugh. “Come on, Stark said you would show me the labs until the wedding started.”

“Oh, right!” Peter said suddenly excited. “This way!”

Tony watched them smile with a small smile on his face. At least they were having fun.

“Still no answer?” Asked Pepper watching the teenagers along with him.

“Nope,” He sighed. “They should’ve landed by now, I don’t understand why he wouldn’t… Am I sounding too crazy?”

“No more than usual,” Pepper answered helpfully. “I’m surprised he hasn’t texted back by now, but maybe his phone isn’t working well.”

“That’s what happens when you don’t get a Stark Phone…”

“Right, right,” Pepper said rolling her eyes. “Care to accompany me in my search for a seat for the ceremony?” She requested offering her arm.

“It would be my pleasure,” He answered returning her smile.

“May I offer you a canapé?” they heard more than once as they moved through the crowd.

Everyone had come, Avengers both new and old, including Clint, who had taken a day out of retirement to attend, along with Fury, Maria Hill and a surprisingly alive Phil Coulson, as well as the self-proclaimed “Guardians of the Galaxy”, probably the weirdest group of the party.

And yet, none of them were prepared when, surprise, surprise, little Miss Hadrea Mydma turned out to be the head of Hydra’s resurgence, going as far as to reintroduce herself as Madame Hydra. Of course, she had to be _that_ kind of villain.

As soon as they all started coughing and doubling in pain-result of the poisoned food and drink-, the waiters took off their aprons, revealing the weapons they had been hiding under them and started firing while they all rushed either to seek shelter or attack. To make matters worse, the systems had been hacked so he couldn’t ask Friday to contact any kind of help.

“But we destroyed Hydra!” exclaimed Natasha.

“You know what we say, if a head is cut off…” started saying Madame Hydra.

“…two more shall take its place.” Steve completed, standing next to Madame Hydra with a rather calm expression on his face.

“Steve?” called Natasha, confused by his sudden change of attitude.

“Hail Hydra,” Steve said, knocking her out.

And that’s when the fight began. Bucky was the first to get to Steve, but no matter how much he tried to reason with him, there was no use, and it ended with him giving a blow that sent Steve flying against the nearest table.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, turning now towards Madame Hydra with a furious expression on his face.

“Should I feel threatened by that?” Madame Hydra asked while raising an eyebrow.

“Take it from a guy with experience, you should,” said Tony, his suit ready to attack now that he knew the few civilians invited were under cover. However, all he got was a sly smirk.

“Lucky me, I have reinforcements,” Tony looked at her soldiers.

“They might be good enough for one Winter Soldier, but let’s see what they can do about Gods like us and the Hulk!” exclaimed Thor, who along with his fellow Asgardians seemed to be least affected by the poison. It was difficult to say how well Bruce was handling the poison, but he was already turning green so they could all guess he would be okay.

“I think we will manage,” Madame Hydra said as a golden ring appeared in the middle of the saloon. For a moment, Tony feared that they had somehow managed to brainwash Stephen too, but then he saw the face and recognized it immediately.

“Mordo,” he spat, watching him quickly make a couple of enchantments with which he got rid of the Revengers. The only thing he could hear, was Loki’s brief: “Not the fall again!”

“Aren’t you supposed to be helping Stephen and Wong?” he began asking when the man turned towards him, but then something more alarming went through his mind: “What have you done to them?”

“I don’t owe you any justification,” Mordo answered, “but just so you know, they are fine. After all, _Stephen_ doesn’t need to know what’s going on here and I’m sure that, with the right guidance, both him and Wong will eventually see things my way,” he explained with a twisted smile as new sparks left his hands.

At that moment, Tony realized that to die fighting an alien invasion didn’t sound so bad when compared to dying at his ex-crush's wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [TameAVagrantLion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TameAVagrantLion) for beta reading this first and make it readable! Of course, she ain't no miracle worker, so if there are any other mistakes, please let me know.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!


	6. Complete

So maybe he kept thinking about what Tony had been trying to tell him before his departure, and after seeing that his cell phone didn’t work, did he really have another choice? Yes, Mordo had been quite explicit on the fact that they shouldn’t attract attention, but they had been wandering around that town all day without results, so there really would be no harm in making a quick visit to the compound, greeting the newlyweds and ... well, since he was there, clear things up with Tony. However, what he found was far from the festive setting he imagined.

“Wong is covering me while Mordo gets dinner…” he began to say as soon as he crossed the portal, but then he saw the situation in which he had walked into. “Didn’t know you would go this far for a couple of… lemon drizzle cakes?” Stephen said, his gaze going from Mordo’s illuminated hands to one of the destroyed buffet tables.

“I can explain,” Mordo began.

“Don’t listen to him, Stephen!” Tony interrupted.

“Just go back with Wong. I promise I will explain everything once I get back, but for now let me do my job,” Mordo went on.

“Don’t trust him!” Tony insisted, gaining an irritated glance from Mordo.

“I think Stephen is adult enough to know who he can or cannot trust,” interjected Mordo with all seriousness.

“You are right, I’m adult enough to know who I can or cannot trust,” said Stephen, making a portal. Tony could only stare in horror as Mordo smiled, had they brainwashed him too? However, instead of entering the portal, Stephen pushed it towards Mordo and jumped after him, both disappearing into thin air.

“So much for an advantageous alliance,” murmured Madame Hydra.

“Tony,” he turned towards Natasha, who had somehow managed to take two weapons from the enemy, “we’re waiting for your order.” He smiled.

“Let’s show them what happens when you crash a party uninvited.”

 

***

 

It had been a while since the last time he had been to the Mirror Dimension. Nothing much had changed, except that now he was fighting his former teacher and friend, who not only admitted that he had been helping Hydra with its resurgence, since they had promised to help him with the restoration of the natural laws, but also that he was behind all the attacks to their ex-students.

Somehow, he managed to beat him and had him imprisoned at the Kamar-Taj, where he would be judged by the rest of the sorcerers.

“You’re a dishonor for this institution,” murmured Wong, once he was informed of what had happened and teleported quickly to deal with the prisoner.

“Dishonor on your whole family! Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!” Stephen started to say.

“Did you hit your head?” Wong interjected.

“You really should join us on movie nights with Peter,” he said in his defense, but given Wong’s unamused expression, he admitted: “Yes.”

“Want some of our doctors to check you up?”

“No, I got to make sure Tony and the rest are alright, I mean…”

“Just go,” Wong basically threw him out, a small smile painting on his face.

 

***

 

Fortunately, when he returned the rest of the Avengers had recovered and succeeded in counterattacking the enemy. So his help was no longer needed, something he was quite thankful for because he was exhausted.

“First aid’s over there,” Tony signaled once Stephen reappeared. “Doctor Strange… can you make them feel better with one of those fancy spells?” only then, he noticed that Stephen was panting out of breath.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have much to offer today,” he said tiredly. Tony put a hand on his shoulder with sympathy. “I am sorry,” Stephen insisted, mistaking the action for an act of insistence.

“You’re kidding, right? You were a rock star out there,” Tony said, a smile forming on his face, “facial hair bro,” Stephen looked at him incredulously and shook his head.

“I still hate you,” he said, but there was a smile on his face.

“That’s not true,” he hummed, “I know deep down you love me.”

“You’re probably right,” Stephen sighed, straightening to look at him, “but for now, let’s just say that I like you.” Yup, that blow to his head would take its toll tomorrow.

“Is that the reason you came back?”

“Well, someone had to say it,” he said without modesty.

“Oh, please, I would have done it first if I wasn’t interrupt-” and then Stephen kissed him. Something he would usually found rude, but he was too tired to care. “Okay, this is the first time I find an interruption kind of enjoyable.”

“Kind of?” Stephen repeated arching an eyebrow.

“Kiss me if I’m wrong,” Tony smirked.

“With pleasure,” he answered, bending over to kiss him one more time.

“I thought this was supposed to be their wedding,” said Shuri signaling towards Bucky and Steve, the latter being healed by Wanda since apparently the reason they had been able to brainwash him so quickly was because of the use of magic.

“Well, this isn’t the weirdest thing that has happened to us,” Peter said raising his shoulders.

“True, they did surgery on a grape,” she answered with straight face, at least until Peter wasn’t able to hold his laughter anymore and she soon followed.

 

***

 

The wedding was resumed, because now it was clearer than ever that you could never be sure when the next attack would be. Tony decided to take note of that. Maybe that knowledge would come in handy in the future. As he danced with Stephen, he waved towards the newlyweds happily. Things with Steve had really improved, and he even was beginning to warm up to Bucky. The Avengers were back together and probably on their way of becoming stronger than ever. And finally _,_ he thought as he kissed Stephen once more, he was allowed to do that. Of course, things were far from perfect. There was still evil in the world, and would probably always be, but he also knew that, at least for now, he had all he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [TameAVagrantLion](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TameAVagrantLion) for beta reading this first and make it readable! Of course, she ain't no miracle worker, so if there are any other mistakes, please let me know.
> 
> Thanks for reading it, and I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
